Volume Two - Academic Conferences

Kansei Design Model for eLearning: A Preliminary Finding
Fauziah Redzuan 1, 2 , Anitawati Mohd Lokman 2 , Zulaiha Ali Othman 1 and Salha
Abdullah 1
1 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Malaysia
2 Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam, Malaysia
fauziahr@tmsk.uitm.edu.my
anita@tmsk.uitm.edu.my
zao@ftsm.ukm.edu.my
sa@ftsm.ukm.edu.my
Abstract: Positive emotion plays an important role in learning. Previous researchers have emphasised the
importance of positive emotion for effective learning. Although some researchers have documented the
association between emotion and eLearning, few studies have addressed users’ emotional experience during
their interaction with eLearning material. Therefore, this research paper highlights the importance of emotion and
aims to associate users’ emotional experience in eLearning in a convergence of interface, content, and
interaction design, of the learning material. In an experimental setting, we adopt the Kansei Engineering (KE)
methodology that has been proven successful in associating emotion and product design characteristics. The
Kansei Engineering technique is used in this research to translate the users’ Kansei (feeling and desire) into the
design elements of the online course. The instruments used in this research include ten online database courses,
and 478 adjectives have been used to represent the users’ emotional experience. Respondents are comprised of
36 undergraduate students from a public institution of higher learning, in Malaysia. The findings led to the
development of a Kansei design model, which aims to provide instructors and designers with clues for
engineering a positive emotional experience, for students learning in an online environment. The positive
emotional experience is targeted to facilitate, not only the capable students, but also the at-risk students, by
enhancing their learning experience. Recent research has also highlighted the need for new techniques to
identify at-risk students, as well as to support their learning. Therefore, identifying a good emotional design for
eLearning will hopefully assist better learning, not only for the good student, but also, and more importantly the
at-risk student. This paper presents the preliminary findings of the first experiment conducted by the researchers.
Results reveal the key adjectives for describing emotional experience in online learning, as well as the specific
design elements of the online course, associated with these emotions. Additionally, this paper briefly discusses a
proposed model for positive emotional experience in online learning; a description of the Kansei Engineering
technique adopted for this study; the analysis and findings, as well as a brief explanation of future research
directions.
Keywords: online course, Kansei Engineering (KE), emotion, design elements, eLearning, emotional experience
1. Introduction
Emotion plays an important role in learning. As emphasised by various researchers, positive emotions
are crucial for effective learning to take place. Despite critiques claiming that emotion should be
neglected in the learning process, many other researches support the idea that positive emotion is
important for effective learning.
However, although there are some researchers who associate emotion and eLearning, researches
that address users’ emotional experience in eLearning are still in the early stages of development.
The work reported in this paper presents the results of the preliminary study, performed to provide
input to the ultimate aim, which is to discover the association of users’ emotional experience in
eLearning with a convergence of interface, content, and interaction design, of the online learning
material.
The following sections are placed in order of what has been said in the literature on emotion in
eLearning, issues in eLearning, emotional experience in web-based applications, Kansei Engineering,
a brief description of the research model, followed by the research method, and the analysis and
discussions from the results of the evaluation experiment. Finally, the research summary and future
work directions are given.
2. Emotion in learning
Emotion is still somewhat neglected in learning, as researchers only tend to emphasise on cognition
and rationality. It is only quite recently that the trends have changed, and more researchers are
including emotion in their research.
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